MD8000 – AIF-4S – 8 Port / 4 Services AES Audio Module

The bi-directional AIF-4S module transmits and receives four channels of AES audio. As a source, incoming digital audio signals delivered to the AIF-4S card are converted into Ethernet packets and sent to the MD8000 Switch Controller (SW-CNT) module for forwarding to the wide area network. In the reverse direction, received Ethernet packets containing audio information are delivered to the AIF-4S card, converted back to their native AES audio format, and delivered to the attached audio equipment.

The AIF-4S operates in one of two different modes. Mode 1 allows independent encapsulation and addressing of each AES audio stream. Single AES streams can be sent to up to 4 destinations and received from up to 4 origination points. Mode 2 is provided for multi-channel applications like 5.1 audio. The AIF-4S can be configured to group 3 AES audio channels into a single Ethernet stream. This provides phase lock and equal latency for each of the channels. In this mode of operation, a single Ethernet stream is used for 3 AES signals and a second stream for the 4th AES signal. Mode settings can be applied uniquely to the transmitted and received signals.

To improve signal transport resiliency and reliability, the AIF-4S module supports both Forward Error Correction (FEC) and Lossless/Hitless path protection switching. The front panel of the AIF-4S module includes a comprehensive set of LEDs for monitoring the status and health of incoming and outgoing audio streams.